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C. DOWNS, R. A. BELLWOOD AND T. W. TURNILL. METHOD 0R PROCESS 0F EXTRACTING OIL FROM VEGETABLE SEEDS, NUTS, AND THE LIKE.

S-SHEET l.

^PPLC^T|0N HLED JN21| T919. l 1,338,909. Patented May 4, 1920.

www m Ma C. DOWNS, R. A. BELLWOOD AND T. W. TURNILL. METHQD on PROCESS or ExTRAcTlNG ol L FROM VEGETABLE SEEDS, NUTS, AND THE LIKE.

- APPLICATION FILED JAN-21,1919. 1,33 8,909, Patented May 4, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED srAras Parana" orrrCE- CHARLES DOWNS AND ROBERT ASLANID BELLWOOD, Ol? KINGSTON-UPOHN-HULL, AND THOMAS WILLOUGHBY TURNILL, 0F CTTINGHAM, NEAR KINGSTON-UPON-HULIL.

ENGLAND.

METHOD 0R PROCESS OF EXTRACTING UIL PROT/I. VEGETABLE SEEDS, NUTS, AND THE LIKE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application led January 21, 1919. Serial No. 272,379.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES `DOWNS and ROBERT AsPLAND BELLwooD, residing at Kingston-uponi-Hull, and THOMAS lViL- LOUGHBY TURNILL, residing at Cottingham, near Kingston-upon-Hull, inthe county of York, England, ,subjects of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods or Processes of Extracting Oil from Vegetable Seeds, Nuts, and the like, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to extracting oil from seeds and nuts similar to copra and palm kernels; and it consists of a novel method of treating the material as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In its broad essentials, our improved method or process consists of cooking or heating the seeds or the like (which have been previously crushed or cut up, as the case may be) by dry heat in a suitable vessel or vessels to the desired temperature which would depend on the kind of seed or other material under treatment, and subjecting the same during cooking or heating to continuous stirring or agitation, the simultaneous cooking or heating by dry heat and stirring or agitation driving the moisture out of the seed or the like and producing the novel result of converting the seed or the like into a semi-liquid or similar state, this forming the first and essential step in our process. The semi-liquid or sloppy mass as we will call it, produced as before described, is then subjected to the action of a suitable separator by which the oil, or a very large percentage of the same is expelled or separated from the solid constituents,v this forming the second and final step` or stage of our process. The solid Vmatter or residiuum remaining, in whichthere still remains a small percentage of oil is then subjected to any further treatment VL leemed necessary for producing food for Vlive stock, or a material for any purpose for which it may be suitable.

In order that our invention may be readily understood and carried into effect, we

have appended hereunto two sheets of explanatory drawings of which Figure 1 represcnts an elevation of one form of apparatus for converting the seeds, nuts or the like, into a semi-liquid or sloppy mass, and for expelling or separating the oil from the solid constituents, and one form or type of apparatus for treating the residuum remaining after the oil has been expelled or separated `by our process, and Fig. 2 is a similar view to F ig. l but showing another form or type of apparatus for extracting the oil, or some of the oil remaining in the residuuin after oil has been expelled or separated by our process.

ln carrying out our improved process, we employ a suitable cooking apparatus in which cooking or heating of the seeds, nuts or the like,I is edected by means of dry heat, said cooking apparatus being provided with suitable stirring or agit, ting means and with means for raising the contents to the required temperature, thereby to free the oil from the seeds, nuts or the like, the cooking or heating and the stirring or agitating causing the conversion of the contents into a semi-liquid or sloppy mass which is essential for effecting the extraction or separation of the oil in accordance with our 'method or process.

"We may employ any suitable apparatus for converting the seeds, nuts or the like to the consistency before mentioned,` one arrangement for the purpose but which we describe by way of example only as we do not limit ourselves thereto, consisting of a jackoted conveyer of what is known as the paddle type, into the jacket of which steam or hot air from any suitable source of supply is dcliveredto provide the necessary dry heat for cooking or heating the contents, or of a plurality of such conveyers, the paddles or stirrers being so arranged and operated thatthey effect a thorough mixing and agitation of the material under treatment during its passage through the conveyer or conveyers.

source o-' power, saidshaiet driv panying drawings, and consists of ya pluA rality of jaclreted trough-like conveyors lt. of the type mentioned arranged one above another and connected one with another by means of outlets a after the manner of sonic forms of drying apparatus, the material bcing fed to the top conveyor, after traveling the i'ull length oi which it is delivered into the conveyer nent below .in order oi arrangement, travelingiirst in one direction in one conveyor and then in the opposite direction in the conveyor nent below until the bottom conveyor is reached, the aggregate length of the several conveyors being such that by the time the seeds, nuts or the like material under treatment has traversed the bottom one ot the series oi conveyors, it has, as a result of the cooking or heating by dry heat and the thorough stirring or agitation to which it has been simultaneously subjected, become 'semi-liquid or of the sloppy 'consistency required to allow ot the ready extraction vor separation ot the oil from the solid constituents in the second step of our process.

The coinminuted, crushed or ground seeds are fed to the top conveyor through an inlet or hopper A1 which also serves as an outlet for the aqueous vapor or moisture which is expelled during the heating process.

The pipe for supplying the steam or hot air to the conveyors is indicated at B, said pipe having a connection to the jacket of each conveyor of the series, a drain or e2;H haust pipe by means of which the water resulting from the condensation ol the steam supplied to the jackets oi the conveyors, or by which the hot air alter use, as the case may be, can escape, being indicated at C, said ,pipe having va connection to the jacket oi leach conveyor `of the series.

rllhe blades or paddles 'for forcing the inaterial along the conveyors and for causing 'the lstirringor agitation of the saine are indicated lat D in the bottom conveyor oil the series, and the shaft kon which such paddles or blades are mounted is indicated at Bl.

In the arrangement of conveyers'slmwn forming the cooking or heating and stirring or agitating means, 'the shaft proif'ided with blades in the top Aconveyor of the series is shown provided witlia pulley E which is driven from a line of shaipting or othe;l the shaift in the conveyer next below in order ctt arrangement through 'the medium or suitable toothed wheel F which gears with a correspond-ing wheel on the-'shalt of the said conveyer neXt below, the shafts of the remaining conveyers being driven the one by the other 1n like manner as will be readily understood on reference to the drawings.

The material in its semi-liquid or sloppy state 'is discharged yfrom the bottom conveyer of the arrangement of conveye-rs forming the combined cooking or heating and agitating device in which it is converted into that state, or is transferred therefrom into a suitable centrifugal separator or the equivalent, which ellects the separation oi the oil from' the solid constituents of such semi-liquid or sloppy mass, g indicating thc pipe by which the separated cil passes away.

The solid matter or residuum remaining in the separator, with its remaining oil contents can then be subjected to any other suitable further treatment.

One example of further treatment of such residuum consists in subjecting it to pressure in the ordinary hydraulic presses l-l (see llig. l) for the purpose of expressing from it the oil, or some of the oil still remaining in it and forming the residuum into calres forleeding live stock and 'for other purposes, the material before being put into the presses being, il desired, put into a kettle or cooker such as J and subjected to 'further he-ating and have the necessary moisture vadded to it as is the practice the existing method of the extraction of oil from seeds and the like by means of pressure.

According to another mode, the oil remaining in the solid matter or residuum produced inthe separator may be extracted by the well-known solvent process, in which case such solid matter or residuum, which would be in a. hot dry state, would be delivered by the separator, or transferred therefrom to an eitractingY pot or pots K (see Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings) in which it would be subjected to the action of a suitable solvent. l

rEhe number orn pots employed would depend upon the quantity ot material requiring to be treated, we prefer however to employ not less than two pots (three ybeing the number shown in the accompanying drawings) so that the material in one pot, or in more than one pot, could be under treatment during the time thc other pot or other pots is or are being emptied and filled.

Any known construction or type'ol extraction. plant using any suitable solvent may be employed for extracting the oil remaining in the residuum and would only require the addition of a dry cooker and stirring or agitating device and centrifugal other separator by the addition of which the output of the plant could be considerably increased.

A further advantage oj'f our process `is that the material being both hot and dry when delivered or transferred from 'the separator into the extraction pots is in an ideal condition for the easy extraction ot the oil remaining in the residuum resulting from our process. by means oic a solvent.

1n describing our improved process in connection with vegetable andthe like oleaginous seeds, nuts and the like, We include all products which can be satisfactorily treated by our said process.

We claim A method or extracting, oil from seeds and nuts similar to copra and palni kernels, which consists in irst oonnninuting or grinding the seeds 0r nuts1 then heating the coni- Ininuted material by the application of dry heat to a temperature suicient to drive off the aqueous particles Without Volatilizing the oil, and simultaneously agitating or 

